Corporal Keighran now works as an underground gold miner at La Mancha's Frog's Leg Mine in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. It's a far cry from the hail of Taliban gunfire he deliberately ran into just over two years ago, in an act of extraordinary bravery that helped save colleagues.

This morning he had Australia's highest military honour, the Victoria Cross, pinned on his chest by the Governor-General in Canberra.

The build-up to the moment began two weeks ago, when the 29-year-old was met at Kalgoorlie airport by Chief of Army David Morrison who informed him of the honour.

It was only after that meeting that the now army reservist told his wife what happened in Afghanistan in August 2010.

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"I hadn't told her," he said after receiving the honour today.

"We spoke in depth and I let her know."

The 29-year-old, originally from Nambour in Queensland, was involved in a firefight between Taliban fighters and Australian and Afghan troops. He repeatedly broke cover to draw fire, allowing the enemy locations to be identified and neutralised.

In the citation it was noted the enemy fire was "accurate and intense''. He repeatedly exposed himself to life-threatening gunfire coming from multiple directions.

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On one occasion he moved from cover to draw fire away from a team that was treating a casualty, and then assisted in clearing the landing zone for an evacuation. The Australian and Afghan forces sustained no further injuries.

Today he said he had always been "quite private" about what happened on the battlefield.

"She wasn't impressed to start with," he said of his wife's response.

Katherine appeared very proud of her husband at the ceremony at Government House in Canberra.

Cpl Keighran declined to talk about the death of one of his "good mates", Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney, in the same action for which he received the VC.

Asked for more detail about the incident which led to his honour Cpl Keighran said: "I don't want to go into it.

"It's more about the boys from 6RAR and Delta company and acknowledging them as well. I am extremely honoured to receive this award today."

He said the "training took over" when he embarked on his brave deeds.

Tributes

Governor-General Quentin Bryce described Corporal Keighran, who enlisted in 2000, as a man of profound physical and moral strength.

"A man selfless in the face of threat, courageous in the face of terror, generous in the face of suffering and humble in the face of an honour bestowed,'' she said.

Ms Bryce said there were other heroes on that day, but what he did was different.

"Acknowledging it here now does not diminish the efforts and sacrifices of those who fought beside you,'' she said.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who met with Corporal Keighran and his wife yesterday, expressed a "tremendous sense of pride".

Corporal Keighran had been modest about his "amazing acts of valour", Ms Gillard said.

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